Reaching Out To You
by starsaberGONE
Summary: Nanoha knew she had to marry him for the sake of her kingdom. But he was not the one she loved. Fate had loved him for the longest time. But she could never express her feelings, for they were enemies. When the gears of fate begin to turn, where will they find themselves? Succumbing to the expectations of others? Or living a happily ever after? [ON HIATUS]
1. Prologue

Hello there! This is my first Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha FanFiction. Criticism is always welcome (as are reviews!) I will try to update once or twice a week. Happy Reading!

PS. This is a Nanoha x Yunno, Fate x Chrono FanFiction. I like these pairings a lot, even though they are not supported by the anime. I haven't read many stories with these pairings (if you know of some please tell me!) so I decided to write one myself. So without further a due, I present ... Reaching Out To You!

* * *

 **Summary:** Nanoha knew she had to marry him for the sake of her kingdom. But he was not the one she truly loved. Fate had loved him for the longest time. But she was not allowed to openly express her feelings, for they were enemies. When the gears of fate begin to turn, what position will these girls find themselves in? Succumbing to the expectations of others? Or living a happily ever after? [Nanoha x Yunno, Fate x Chrono]

 **Characters:**

Nanoha (14)

Fate (14)

Chrono (14)

Yunno (14)

* * *

 **~Prolouge~**

The year was 437, and civil war raged in the kingdom of Lightholt. Sick and tired of the monarch's evil rule, the people revolted. Weary from battle, the soldiers were no match for the people, who, fueled by hatred and anger, fought mercilessly. No longer able to withstand the sight of her home crumbling before her eyes, one duchess fled with her young daughter and servant. Just before they reached the gate, they were attacked by a mob. The duchess was killed. However, her daughter and servant survived, and they managed to flee to a kingdom far, far away.

After hearing the young noble's story, the king and queen of the kingdom accepted her almost as their own, raising her with the young prince. The two bonded closely over the years.

At long last, the war had ended, and it came time for the girl to return to her kingdom, for that had been her mother's dying wish. So with a sad farewell, she left.

Years later, the young noble had become the strongest knight in her kingdom. Her name was Fate Testarossa.

When her kingdom is pitted in a bitter war against the kingdom who saved her, the gears of fate have begun to turn...


	2. Traitor

Onto the actual story! A little fluffy, yes, but I hope you enjoy. Happy Reading! (Reviews are always welcome!)

* * *

 **~ Traitor ~**

Fate's hand trembled as she held the feather quill in her hand. Her red eyes scanned the documemt over and over again. She knew all too well the consequnces of signing the treaty. It would mean betraying them. Queen Lindy, King Clyde, Chrono ... they would all hate her. But ... this was for her kingdom. For her kingdom. And before she could change her mind, she scrawled her name at the bottom of the scroll, then stepped back.

Her broad-shouldered, large-limbed commander picked up the scroll and held it up high above his head for all to see. "We have all agreed, " he announced, "that we will be allying with the Belkans! Which means that we will be up against Mid-childa, the strongest of all the kingdoms. Are you up to this?" He boomed.

"We are!" His troops echoed.

"Are you ready to beat them to pulp?"

"We are!"

"Then let's do it!"

The troops broke out into cheering and applause. Fate winced.

One soldier spoke up, interrupting the rest of his comrade's celebrating. "Sir," he asked, choosing his words carefully, "while all this determination is great, we can't beat the strongest kingdom in all of Terra with just determination. Do you have a plan?" Several of his fellow soldiers shot him murderous glances.

"Yes," the commander replied with a grin. "I do, in fact. We'll attack them when they're weakest."

"When will that be, sir?"

"Very soon."

* * *

Grey clouds concealed every last ray of sunshine. People in black, mourning attire dotted the Mid-childan landscape. Almost everwhere one looked, tears were flowing. Some people sobbed openly; others, their eyes just brimming before they attacked it with their shirt sleeve.

Even the priest, second to only the soon-to-be-king of Mid-childa in stoicism, couldn't manage a single sentence without shedding a couple of tears or a sob. "Today {hiccup, sob}, we commemorate King Clyde and Queen Lindy {hiccup, sob}. They have done a great many things for Mid-childa, things that we can't even begin to thank them for. We..."

Amongst all these people, there was only one person who did not cry. His eyes didn't fill up, not even once. Instead, the blue-eyed, blue-haired boy roamed the crowds, comforting those who needed it (which is to say, nearly everyone).

Did Chrono Harlaown want to cry? Of course he did. If anything, he should have been the one sobbing harder and louder and more than anyone else around him. It was _his_ parents in that casket, after all.

But if he was going to be king, he needed to be strong. He needed to be strong for his people. He needed to be strong for those who he cared about. Which meant that he was not going to cry, because crying meant that you had already given up on hope, already allowed grief to swallow you whole.

He watched in silence as the casket creaked shut, never to be opened again. In a way, he felt like none of it was real. It all just seemed like a bad, bad dream, one that he hoped to wake from very soon.

But he knew reality was harsh. He knew it was real. He'd never be able to see his parents ever again. They were gone. Forever. Nothing would be able to bring them back. The wanting to see them would grow stronger and stronger each day, but that wanting would go unfulfilled for the rest of Chrono's life. It was a gaping hole that could not be mended.

 _Father, I'll take care of your kingdom. Mother, I'll make sure that the people are happy, every single day. I'll marry a nice girl too, so don't stress over it. I love you._

He hoped his message would reach his parents.


	3. The Betrothal

I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! This chapter will focus more on Yunno x Nanoha. Not much action (that's going to come later), just some exposition stuff.

Thanks to:

Sean Guilty (for reviewing)

2502701 (for following)

Happy Reading!

* * *

 **~The Betrothal~**

Yunno Scrya sat in his office, intently studying a ancient scroll, worn from age and centuries of handling. A knock on the door made the young, blonde-haired, emerald-eyed librarian look up.

"Can I come in?" rang a silvery voice from outside.

"Prin-Princess! Of course!" The librarian stuttered, almost having to restrain himself from yelling (in the library) as he rushed to door and twisted open the door knob.

Before him stood a girl a few inches shorter than him. She pulled off the hood of her cloak, revealing her striking violet eyes and long auburn hair, pulled back in a ponytail. She gave the flustered librarian a small smile before stepping in.

Closing the door behind them, Yunno asked, cheeks burning, "What brings you here today, Princess?"

The auburn-haired girl giggled. "You don't have to be so formal when we're alone, Yunno. Just call me Nanoha."

"O-of course, Prin-I mean, Na-, Nanoha." For some reason, the words, "When we're alone" didn't sound quite right in his brain.

"Nanoha." She corrected, taking care to enunciate every syllable slowly and clearly.

"Nanoha." Yunno repeated. _Nanoha, Nanoha, Nanoha,_ Yunno repeated to himself in his head. It was such a beautiful name.

Nanoha smiled and gave him a small nod. "That's right!"

As he pulled out a seat for Nanoha and himself, the princess explained, "I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. I hope I didn't interrupt your work."

"No, no not at all. In fact, I just finished my work. Just looking at some other artifacts for fun." He assured the princess, slightly stiffly, as he poured a cup of tea for them both, then settled back into his seat.

It didn't seem right being so close to the princess, despite the fact that they had played together ever since they were young children. He didn't understand the pangs against his heart every time she was near him. It wasn't a pleasent feeling, yet at the same time, it was. It made him want to stay with her, longer and longer. It was always painful when she had to go.

Nanoha sat down as well, straing down at the warm cup of tea in her hands. There was a silence as both of them tried to decide what to say next. They both knew what Nanoha had really come for, only no one wanted to talk about it.

"So, when will it be? The ... you know, marriage be ..." Yunno said quietly, trailing off. He didn't look up from his tea cup.

"In five days." replied Nanoha, just as quietly. A melancholy filled her voice. She didn't look up either.

"Well, " Yunno, began, trying to cheer Nanoha a bit. "Chrono's a good guy. He's well-trained and everything. Top- "

"You don't understand!" Nanoha suddenly burst out, shooting up out of her seat. The tea cup was sent flying by the sudden movement, shattering to pieces on the floor. Tea seeped out and into the dusty wooden floorboards. Yunno's jaw fell open as he looked up to meet the furious gaze of the princess. Her eyes brimmed with hurt tears.

"I don't want to marry him! He nice and all, but, but he's just a friend! I... I... I", she lowered her voice, her cheeks turning red from pure embarassment. She had wanted to tell him today. But she just couldn't spit it out. She hoped no one else had heard her.

"I'm sorry for breaking the teacup." she ended quietly. Both of them knew very well that Nanoha had wanted to say something else. Exactly what, Yunno wasn't sure.

Nanoha stooped down and collected the broken teacup pieces, setting them on the table. Both of them knew nothing much could be done about the tea. She hastily wiped her tears away with her sleeve, and forced a cheery smile. "I'm really sorry, Yunno. I really am. That conversation wasn't supposed to end like that. I guess I got carried away. I'll get a maid to clean this mess up for you."

"It's alright, Princess. I'll handle it."

"Well, I have to get going now." Taking one last look at Yunno's face, Nanoha tried to look casual as she could, walking out of his office, taking great care to shut the door nicely. No one knew that the sight of Yunno's shocked face was gourging Nanoha's heart out. No one knew that behind her cheery mask, Nanoha's tears were flowing worse than ever now.

Once she had walked out of the library, calmly, she took a good survey tof her surroudings to make sure that no one else was around. Then she took off running, holding her arm up so that she could bury her face in her sleeve. Tears flew from her eyes. _I'm sorry, Yunno. I wanted to say, I love you. But I couldn't._ Little did she know, someone had seen her from the shadows.

Back in his office, Yunno came to a realization. _I.. I love her._


	4. Going Against Tradition

I am so sorry! Lot's of things have been barging into my life as of late. I'll try to keep updates consistent in the future.

Was Nanoha out of character there? Tell me what you think! It'll help me a lot. Remeber, reviews are greatly appreciated (and makes for faster updates too!) Also, if there is anything specific you want me to write, (eg. a specific scene in this story) please tell me! I'd be happy to write it for you. I'm sorry for the low quality of this chapter. It's short and not well written. It's basically a filler explaining the betrothal. However, I promise the next chapter will be good!

PS. I know I told you in the introduction that they were 14, but from the way the story's turning out, I'm changing it to 16. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks To:

kimek (for reviewing, following and favoring!)

Frosty Asian (for following and favoring)

2502701 (for following)

Sean Guilty (for reviewing)

NachtKrcker (for reviewing)

hshh (for reviewing)

Guest (for reviewing)

The Justice and Death (for reviewing)

and you for reading this

Happy Reading!

* * *

 **~ Going Against Tradition ~**

Chrono slumped at his desk in a daze. It was not a comfortable position, considering that the small mahogany desk slanted upwards at a 45 degree angle. His dark blue hair was in a disheveled mess. His exhaustion could clearly be seen in his ice blue eyes. He had already fended off a couple of servants offering to "get him something" or have him "get some fresh air". He could still hear them whispering amongst themselves just outside the door.

"You think His Highness is alright?"

"Of course not. He hasn't eaten or slept since ... that day."

"How is he going to rule our kingdom in his state!?"

"Calm down. He is just 16, a mere child."

"Did you hear that Sir Fate signed the treaty? She's allying with the Belkans!"

"How dare she! After all our kingdom has done for her ... biting the hand that fed her, I tell you! That witch!"

He put his hands over his ears to muffle the noise. He didn't want to hear them speak badly of Fate. If this had been any other time, Chrono would've gone out there and made them zip it up, but today, he was just too mentally drained to do so. He had been so sure that Lightholt would ally with Mid-childa. Yet there it was, the treaty, proving him wrong. The name Fate Tesstarossa was signed clearly at the bottom of the page. No matter how many times he rubbed his eyes, the name was still there. It was her penmanship, no doubt. The truth was undeniable. She had betrayed them.

For what reason? Fate... she had been like family. Why would she turn her back on them? Why would she just betray them like that? He shook his head. It was too much to think about. His parent's deaths, war, Fate's betrayal ... and then there was that. In five days, he would marry the eldest princess of Eltria - Nanoha Takamachi.

He hadn't agreed to the betrothal. Nor had Nanoha. It was tradition. For centuries, Mid-childa and Eltria had maintained a very good relationship. It was tradition for the eldest (or in Chrono's case, only) prince of Mid-childa to marry the eldest princess of Eltria. His mother, grandmother, great-grandmother were all Eltrian. Usually, the young royals were forbidden from forming friendly relationships with anyone else of the opposite gender, so most had married willingly. Forming forbidden realtionships was unheard of. It was extremely disparaging to one's dignity. However, the law had changed long since the time of their parents, and they could befriend whomever they pleased. And once Fate had come along that day, seven years ago, everything had changed.

It wasn't that he didn't like Nanoha. In fact, the two had been great friends since childhood. It was just that neither of them could see each other beyond just a friend. Forcing them to marry each other had always been wrong in Chrono's opinion. Even in the name of a friendly relationship between kingdoms. Everyone else could choose. So why couldn't they? It simply wasn't ... right. No, the words wasn't right. It was fair. Of course, Chrono noted with a sad smile, nothing was fair. The tradition hadn't changed for centuries. It probably wouldn't ever change. And with war and all... he needed all the assistance he could get. So ...

Call it foolish, call it rash, call it stubbron, Chrono was beyond caring. Pulling out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill, he began to write.

* * *

Nanoha bounded down the stairs with a letter in hand. She had to restrain herself from charging like a bull into the library and into Yunno's office.

"Yunno! Yunno!" she called, trying to keep her voice low, while pounding on his office door. Others in the library couldn't help but stare. Nanoha hadn't bothered to wear a cloak this time, and her auburn hair was easily recognizable. Even though it had all happened in Yunno's office, out of the sight of others, rumors had quickly evolved from the racket Nanoha had made last time. And they had spread like wildfire.

Yunno opened the door, greeting the panting, out-of-breath princess with a smile. It was just then when he realized all the eyes on them. With a nervous wave of his hand, he announced, "Sorry. The princess was just excited to show me a newly excavated artifact. That's all." And he tried his best to give them a believable, good-willed laugh.

Nanoha turned around with a small blush. "Sorry, just a little excited, that's all", she said with a laugh, imitating Yunno's. Some people smiled. Others snorted, just loud enough so that the person next to him could hear it, but no one else. Soon, everyone had returned to what they had previously been doing.

After closing his office door, and going through the usual routine (pouring both of them a cup of tea and settling down into a chair) Yunno began with a smile, "So what brings you here today?"

Nanoha had to restrain herself from slamming the letter down on his desk. "This" she said. "Read it." There was an urgence in her voice. Noting the two intricately designed initials on wax seal, he asked, "From Chrono?"Nanoha nodded vigorously.

Yunno opened the letter, mentally vowing to himself: _Chrono, if this letter says anything the least bit threatening, the least bit offensive, anything that makes Nanoha the least bit upset, I will personally go to Mid-childa and throw you out the highest window I can find._ Taking a deep breath, he began to read:

 _Dear Nanoha,_

 _Forgive me for being blunt. I believe it has come to both of our understandings that it is against the will of us both to agree to go through with the betrothal, and consequently, the marriage. Surely there must be a way to get out of it without destroying the bond between our kingdoms. I ask for your assistance in forming and executing a plan._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Chrono_

Yunno looked up from the short letter, a surprised expression etched into his face. "Chrono's against it too?"

Nanoha's nodded, her face bright. "He is. And he's willing to help us find a way out of it."

Yunno raised an eyebrow, suspiciously, "Us? " As in you and him? Or ...

Nanoha blushed slightly. "You'll see soon enough." she said, waving it off. "Anyways, will you help me?"

Yunno's grin could be seen from a mile away. "Of course, Nanoha. Where shall we start?"

By now, Nanoha was emitting enough of glow to rival a lighthouse. "I knew you would agree! Thank you, Yunno, thank you!" She cheered, giving him a friendly hug.

Yunno's entire face flooded with the color of a tomato. Thankfully, Nanoha didn't notice this. "We're starting with your specialty. Books." Nanoha said with a wink, releasing him.

And the two rushed out of the office faster than Nanoha had charged in (well, Nanoha did, with a poor Yunno in tow).

Just moments after they had left, a figure cloaked in black junped in. Grabbing the letter, he quickly scanned through it, and smirked to himself. This was going to get a lot more interesting than he had bargained for.


	5. For the Sake of the Kingdom

**~For the Sake of the Kingdom~**

Arisa had always been a thorough person. No matter what it was, from typical maid chores to choosing outfits, she had always been very, _very_ precise about it. And until everything was exactly, and she meant _exactly_ , the way she wanted, there was no way was she going to pause for even a moment.

And at the moment, there was an extremely urgent task at hand. Suzuka watched worriedly as her partner paced from one end of the maid quarters to the other, slightly hunched over, with her hands behind her back and her eyes focusing intently on the grey stone floor. And for a while, she remained like this. Pace, pace, pace. Reach wall. Turn. Pace, pace, pace. Reach wall. Turn.

And then she exploded.

"What are we going to do about this? This is a huge problem, don't you see! Oh help me Saint Kaiser! If this goes on for much longer there's going to be a war! Between us and Mid-childa! And then there are already the attacking Belka forces, and they're going to decimate us and obliterate Eltria, and it'll all be my fault because I didn't do anything about it!" Her voice became more and more strained with each word. Her hands were now tussling her long golden strands, making them stick out like stalagmites from her head.

Suzuka could only watch in silence as Arisa proceeded to brood in a corner of the room.

The other maids had warned her of this. Arisa's ultimate stress mode.

Suzuka swallowed hard. Unfortunately, as Arisa's partner, it was her responsibility to do something about this.

Tentatively, she approached the still-brooding Arisa and poked her shoulder. No response. She tried again.

"Um, Ari-, er Ms. Bannings, are you alright?" This time Arisa turned. "Am I alright? Am I alright? Of course, I'm not. Do I even look alright?"

"Er ..." Honestly? No. Arisa did not look alright. Her face was ghostly pale and sullen, and her emerald eyes were dull and flickered in and out of focus like candlelight. But Suzuka wasn't about to tell her that.

"Of course, ma'am. You look ... splendid." Oh, what had they said about dealing with Arisa's stress? Suzuka struggled to remember. Come on, she urged her memories. I need you now. _Come on!_ And suddenly, it clicked.

"Oh, I have some left-, I mean, some biscuits and tea. Do you care for a bite? We can come up with some sort of plan over tea. That way we can clear our minds and think about this logically, right?" Suzuka asked, hopefully. Her facial expression was not natural. One eyebrow had shot up, and the muscles in her jaw twitched.

She was finding this whole situation, out of all things, yes, she was finding it humorous. She wanted to laugh, but she had no idea what that would result in. Probably something very, very dangerous. So she held the expression, and tried to choke down the laughter. It came out somewhere between choking on her spit and a sneeze.

* * *

"So, " Arisa began, as she crunched down on a biscuit, "what about that plan?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we should report this to the Prince or something. After all, the Princess is his younger sister. They're close. His Highness should know how to deal with this problem. There was a pause. Arisa sighed. How had they winded up in this situation? If only Prince Kyoya had made another maid fetch his books ...

That morning, she and Suzuka had gone to ask Yuuno about a copy of some book or another that Prince Kyoya had wanted for his studies when they had seen it. The letter had been open and lying in plain sight on the table. A quick scan had confirmed Arisa's worst fears.

Prince, or rather, King Chrono did not want to go through with the marriage. Eltria was doomed. Even though the kingdom was rich in natural resources, they were small. And not nearly as powerful as any of the other kingdoms when it came to fighting. They had to be allied with strong powers in order to survive. Mid-childa had been the indisputable choice when they had decided upon allies, and here they were now, and this terrifically messed up situation.

"I suppose that's all we can do for now, isn't it?" Arisa replied with a sigh. Leaning in, she whispered, "I wish the King and Queen were still around. They'd understand. I don't know about the Prince. I hear he's a little strange in the head."

Suzuka nodded.

* * *

Prince Kyoya, as it turned out, had been quite the gentlemen. He had patiently listened to their case, occasionally interrupting to ask a few questions here or there. At the end of it all, he had thanked the maids for bringing the matter up, suggested that they not worry too much about it, and dismissed them. Long after they had left, though, he was still thinking about it. And he had thought about the matter for a quite long time before coming to a conclusion.

He was good friends with Chrono, and he knew how much the boy wished for everyone to be happy. He also knew that the boy didn't and would probably never fancy a single girl in his life. That meant one thing. He had sent this letter for the sake of Nanoha. It wasn't a secret, her and Yuuno's relationship, that is. Most everyone could agree that they were in love. He'd hate to do this to his younger sister, but ... it was for the kingdom's sake.

"Your orders, Your Highness?"

"Separate Yuuno Scrya from Princess Nanoha at any cost. If absolutely necessary", he added quietly, "and _only_ if absolutely necessary, I hereby grant you permission to take his life."


End file.
